Fire Extinguishers One Of A Laundrys Best Lines Of Defense

From somewhere out in the laundry''s customer area someone was yelling, Fire An excited, but under control attendant rushed out of the laundry''s office carrying a fire extinguisher. She saw there was smoke and a small blaze in one of the plastic trash cans located toward the front door of the laundry. Someone had probably dropped a cigarette in it and the fire resulted. The attendant knew exactly what to do. Three quick blasts from one of the laundry''s three extinguishers and the fire was out. Everything smelled pretty bad, but there was no damage done, not even to the can. To clear the air, she moved the receptacle out the back door of the laundry, and soon everything got back to normal. There was lots of momentary excitement, but no damage was done to the laundry, nothing lost and there was almost no cost to the laundry''s owner. Not only were there fire extinguishers available ready for an emergency, but all of the laundry''s attendants had been trained on how to use them. Imagine the consequences to the laundry if the extinguishers had not been there and the attendant had not been trained on how to use them. All the owner had to do to properly train his attendants was to walk them through the procedures one time. Having done that spared him a lot of bad consequences that a plastic trash can fire can cause. A year or two earlier, in the same area of that same city, there was a similar fire in a coin laundry. That fire resulted in more than $10,000 in damage and closed the laundry for nearly a month for repair and clean up. A trash can had caught fire and the flames rose through the ceiling tile and then burned out a supporting roof beam. The two fires could have been the same, except for the second laundry having a fire extinguisher on hand together with trained attendants knowing how to use it correctly. Considered a pain by most operators as they are often stolen from laundries, fire extinguishers are just one of the costs of doing business. The overall theft expense is small compared to the huge potential costs for not having one there when it''s needed. Attended coin laundries have less of a problem with theft. Most are kept in the office, which is OK as long as there is always an attendant present. Most operators keep them in the back office and satisfy requirements of the local fire code by posting a sign reading ''Extinguisher Inside''. Owners of unattended laundries frequently complain about having extinguishers stolen. To meet code, they have to be available in case of fire. That seems to be too much temptation for thieves. A fire extinguisher is something everyone can use, especially if it''s free for the taking. One way to slow down theft is to mount extinguishers in a metal box with a glass cover, mounted on the wall. Paint the glass so that the box contents can''t be seen without breaking the glass. If thieves cannot see what is in the box, they have to break the glass to find out if an extinguisher is really there. In that case, they are more likely to leave it alone. Another way to prevent loss is to post the Extinguisher Inside notice on the door to the back room. It''s not likely that customers will use an extinguisher anyway. In most cases of a laundry fire they just grab their clothes and run outside. Extinguishers will be stolen, but the cost of that loss is minuscule when compared to what not having one on hand can mean when a fire breaks out. What type of fire extinguishers are best? There are special use units that are for special types of problems. They are categorized by the kinds of fire they affect. Type A is for use on trash, wood, paper, etc. Type B is for use on grease, liquid and chemical fires. Type C is for use on electrical fires. There is also a combined ABC type fire extinguisher for general use in home or office. This ABC unit is generally easiest to find and buy locally. That''s good since it is the recommended unit to keep on hand in your laundry. These units can be found in most builder supply and hardware stores. They range in price from $15 - $40. The price is so low that no business can afford to be without one or more. Some extinguisher units are built and sold with fabricated steel tanks to contain the retardant content. Others are made with plastic tanks. These are lighter and much cheaper to make. By law, extinguishers manufactured with plastic tanks can not be refilled. Ones with metal tanks can be. Most fire codes require that the extinguisher units be recertified every two years. The typical fee for that service amounts to about $15 per unit, per year. Companies that do service of that type are found all over and work on a basis that pretty much coincides with the inspection schedule of local fire inspectors in the area. For 25 to 30 dollars per unit, they will certify each extinguisher and that certification will be good for two years. The cost for maintaining extinguishers properly, and having them on hand is pretty low. The units are inexpensive to buy. The overwhelming risk of not having the protection available is plain to see. Protect your business by having an adequate fire extinguisher on hand at all times. And be sure to train your employees on their proper use. When one considers the bad consequences that are possible for not having an extinguisher on hand to fight a fire, it becomes a no brainer for laundry operators. If you don''t have one in your laundry, get one, or more, today.